Category Archives: Bedbug Laws

New San Francisco Bed Bug Laws

Why Are Bed Bugs Biting in San Fran?

Bed bugs are most prevalent in cities that have large urban area’s and many travelers – like San Francisco! That’s because bedbugs travel on clothing and in luggage & they use humans and other mammals as hosts.

Bed Bug Avoidance Tips for San Francisco Landlords

The San Francisco Department of Public Health has already changed the landlord requirements for control of bed bugs two times in the past 5 years, and they are doing it again – this May! Here are some changes that they are proposing and considering requiring landlords to abide by:

In the past, we at Bedbug.com have gotten many questions about bed bug litigation and what the law says when it comes to bed bug infestations in apartment buildings.

While we are not qualified to give legal advice to landlords or tenants, we did come across the verdict in a recent case, which decided that the landlord was not responsible for bed bugs after having done his due diligence in reporting past infestations and allowing the buyer to inspect the apartment before signing. To read more about this case, please visit http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=8341f9cd-8907-4959-a65c-b0880722866a.

Landlords and Tenants have been trying to get rid of bed bugs for a long time now. Often, lawyers get involved with the bed bug law suits.

But this is the first case I’ve heard of where a lawyer brought bed bugs into a court room to prevent his client from being evicted from his Detroit apartment. And apparently, it worked! His client, Frank Manion withheld rent until the bedbugs were eliminated. Despite past attempts by the landlord to get rid of the bed bugs, Manions landlord was forced to persist and hire a new exterminator to kill the bed bugs in the apartment building. Hope the landlord has enough foresight to encase those mattresses!

How far would you go to have your landlord get rid of bed bugs in your apartment?

Bed Bug Lawyers – An Increasingly Popular Profession

As bed bug infestations are showing up in more and more places, bed bug lawyers have become more and more popular. Getting rid of bed bugs is the least of commercial property owners’ worries now that these new lawyers are filing bed bug lawsuits. These new indirect costs that bed bug infestations are creating for bed bug lawyers and bed bug insurance far exceed the direct costs of bed bugs such as for bed bug mattress encasements and bed bug extermination.

In Baltimore, on October 24th, the first bed bug lawsuit was reported by ABC news as “the first of what could end up binge many.” In this bed bug lawsuit, Kristen Saunders won $40,000 in damages because her apartment management took over a month to get rid of bed bugs from within her apartment. In Ohio, Knights Inn is facing its second bed bug lawsuit for failing to do their part in preventing bed bug infestations and inefficiently removing bed bugs from their motel rooms. Theres even a bed bug lawsuit against Knox County Jail, filed by a woman who claimed to be injured due to bed bug bites in her eye during the time she served in the jail.

These new lawsuits are perhaps more frightening than the bed bugs are themselves. Property owners better figure it out sooner than later that unless they take preventative measures they will not only face a bed bug infestation but likely, a bed bug lawsuit.

Bed bug extermination can cost between $4K and $10k or even more, depending on the size of your facility, and the degree of infestation. Buy encasements in bulk and save tons of money of mattress replacement while keeping the bed bugs out at the same time.

Use metal headboards and closet hanging bars when ever possible

Educate tenants about the threat of bed bugs. Tell them what bed bugs look like, how to spot them, and what to do if they turn up.

Keep halls and public areas free of clutter

Contact your local health authorities to learn more about your legal obligations regarding bed bugs, and have a plan of action ready to go if bed bugs turn up.

Read more about bed bug lawsuits at http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/hotel-faces-2nd-bedbug-lawsuit-1274614.html

In Dayton, Ohio bed bugs were found in the rental furniture of three disgruntled roommates, resulting in a law suit pitted at the rental company.

The bedbug lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Dayton in response to statements that these roommates received bed bug infested couch, loveseat, lamps and tables from a local rental center. The lawsuit says they immediately developed red welts from bed bug bites after moving the furniture into their home in February.

The Dayton Daily News reports that the lawsuit alleges that the rental center was negligent and caused emotional distress. It says the roommates had to hire an exterminator and get rid of possessions. This lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages to be determined at trial.

This is despite the fact that Ohio has one of the most up-to-date state regulations about bed bugs and even a bed bug task force!

Bed bug infestations are stressful for anyone, whether you are a tenant or a landlord and no matter where you live.

Recently, we have received many calls from landlords in New York state exacerbated that their tenant has just complained that they have bed bugs. While these bed bug search and elimination tips may be helpful for anyone who suspects bedbugs, this post is geared towards New York State Tenants and Landlords in such a situation.

Find a Pest Control Company: It is the landlords responsibility to get the apartment checked for bedbugs. Many times other bugs, such as carpet beetles or dust mites can be confused for bed bugs. You can find exterminators using the Find Pest Control tab on Bedbug.com’s website or simply click the image on the right. NOTE: All exterminators listed on Bedbug.com have been verified, and many even have coupons for free bed bug inspections or reduced price treatments!

Check for Bedbugs: Use your chosen exterminator to get the apartment in question checked for bed bugs. If that apartment does not have bed bugs, please skip to step 6 below.

Eliminate Bed bugs: If bed bugs are located, bed bug treatments to eliminate them must be initiated. Be prepared that killing bed bugs is often expensive, typically between 400 and 1,000 dollars.

New NY law! Landlords are responsible for checking adjacent apartments for bedbugs. While this is not extremely common, this is a new law in New York State because bed bugs have been found to crawl from one apartment to the next, especially in cases of heavy infestations.

Encase Mattresses and Laundry: Consider bed bug mattress and clothing encasements to prevent any bed bug scares in the future. This may also add a sense of security for both yourself and your frazzled tenant, and help to patch up any residual tensions from this episode. NOTE: When purchasing bed bug encasements, make sure they have been tested and certified bed bug proof and look at the warranty – entomologist testing and lifetime warranties typically indicate confidence in the preventative abilities of the encasement product.

Bonus Step: Bedbug.com coupon code! We know how hard bed bug detection and killing bed bugs can be; both emotionally and financially. Well, we’re here to help ease this in whatever ways we can. Just for reading this article, you get access to our highest 15% coupon code to be used by you and/or your tenant for your entire order at Bedbug.com checkout – Just click on SAVEAF15 and remember to enter ‘SAVEAF15’ as your coupon code at checkout.

Good luck with those critters and we hope these tips have helped you to sleep just a bit more secure tonight!